JP3134613B2 - POS system with self search function - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a supermarket,
Regarding POS systems used in department stores, convenience stores, various mass retailers, and other stores that display a wide variety of products in a large sales area, a PLU (Price Look Up) is performed especially for each product input. The present invention relates to a POS system using a self-scan cart having a self-searching function for displaying a message as a terminal.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a mass merchandise store that handles a wide variety of products in a relatively large sales floor area, the types and amounts of products input by an operator at the time of settlement are enormous, so that not only the burden on the operator but also the time required for input processing are increased. And the customer's waiting time tends to be prolonged.

For this reason, in the recent distribution industry, carts and baskets having a self-scan function have been introduced as a measure to reduce the settlement waiting time and the burden on the operator.

A cart or basket having a self-scanning function enables a customer to operate a scanner or a keyboard to input a product code and thereby omit product scanning in a check-out lane during checkout. is there.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of a cart having a self-scanning function (self-scanning cart).

[0006] The conventional self-scanning cart has a P
Because it does not have an LU function, information such as product prices could not be displayed on the self-scan cart on the spot.

[0007] Therefore, during the shopping, the customer does not know what he has purchased and how much the payment amount will be, and returns the goods at the time of settlement due to lack of money, or conversely, possesses the goods. There was a lot of confusion, such as adding products because of the money.

Further, in the conventional apparatus, each time a customer inputs merchandise information from each self-scanning cart or shopping basket, a controller or a checkout POS apparatus is accessed, and data is sent to a higher-level apparatus such as a controller for each input of merchandise. However, since the method of accumulating data in the host device is used, there are problems that the processing takes time and the load on the host device such as the controller and the settlement POS device becomes excessive.

[0009] For these reasons, the distribution industry in recent years has demanded a new checkout system that reduces the checkout waiting time and the load on the operator, and various types of shopping baskets and self-scan carts having an input unit are required. A proposal has been made.

For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 63-145591 discloses a shopping basket provided with an input unit. However, since this basket does not have an equivalent to a PLU file, each shopping basket is input. It was not possible to search for a price or display the price of a product for each product input.

Further, since the input data is sent to the controller every time one product is input, the load on the controller increases. In addition, the total purchase price is sent to the checkout POS device by sending data input by the customer from the basket at the checkout, and the checkout PO
The result is displayed only after the result of the settlement processing by the S device is returned to the basket.

Therefore, there is a problem that the customer cannot know how much the purchase amount will be during the shopping and cannot prepare the payment amount in advance.

Further, the POS disclosed in JP-A-63-223998 is disclosed.
It is disclosed that the system sends data to the checkout POS device for each product input and displays the product name, price, and quantity for each product, but as in JP-A-63-145559, a PLU file is stored in the basket. However, in order to display the price and the like, communication must be performed with the settlement POS device.

[0014]

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

As described above, in the conventional POS system, it is required to reduce the input load of the operator, the processing time, and the load of the host device such as the controller and the settlement POS device.

[0016] Further, from the viewpoint of improving services to customers, there is a demand for a system that allows a customer to easily confirm a product selected by the customer and to confirm a cumulative purchase to date.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and facilitates the payment processing in a large-scale store, and provides a payment PO.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a POS system in which the burden on the S device and the controller is reduced, the operation time of the operator is reduced, and the purchased products and the purchase price of the customer are easily confirmed.

[0018]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the principle of a POS system according to the present invention.

The portable terminal device 1 of the present invention includes an input means 1g for receiving an input of a product code, a PLU file 1j in which a product code and product information are recorded in association with each other, and a PLU file based on the input product code. Search means 1b for searching for product information by searching for 1j, calculating means 1c for performing arithmetic processing based on the search result by said searching means 1b, and display means 1d for displaying product information and the calculation result by said calculating means 1c. A storage unit 1k for storing the product information including the calculation result by the calculation unit 1d and the input product code, and a communication unit 1f for transmitting the product information stored in the storage unit 1k to a higher-level processing device. It consists of.

[0020] Further , the higher-level arithmetic unit is a portable device for a customer.
A communication means for receiving the product information transmitted from the terminal;
Product code and product information are paired based on the product code
Search for the upper PLU file recorded in association with
Calculation means for performing a settlement process based on the selected product information.
Have. In the first invention, a portable terminal for a customer is provided.
1 is based on the product code input to the customer mobile terminal 1.
From the PLU file 1j in the portable terminal for customer 1
Product information and the calculation result based on the product information are displayed.
Display on the display means 1d, and the higher-level device
Search from upper PLU file of upper device based on network
Payment processing is performed using the product information.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, when the product information of the corresponding product cannot be found in the PLU file 1j of the portable terminal for customer 1, the error processing means 11l for processing the product information, It has display means 1d for displaying on the display of the portable terminal for customer 1 that there is a product that could not be searched, and storage means 1k for storing a barcode of the product concerned. The host device 2 is configured to process this.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the customer portable terminal 1 has an inquiry means 1m for a higher-level device and a communication means 1f for the higher-level device 3, and the higher-level device 3 is a PLU file of all commodities. 3d, a search unit 3f for the PLU file 3d, and a communication unit 3e for communicating with the customer portable terminal 1. When the desired product information cannot be found in the PLU file 1j, the inquiry unit 1m checks the upper level. Device 3
Is configured to search for and process the PLU file 3d.

A fourth invention is a POS system according to the second invention.
In response to a transmission request from the higher-level computing device.
Calculating the product information stored in the storage means by the higher-order operation
The product code is transmitted to the storage device and
If stored, the product code is
Operating to transmit to the arithmetic unit. No.
The fifth invention is the POS system according to the first invention, wherein
The customer portable terminal has an input end key, and the input end
A transmission request from the higher-level processing device is required based on a key operation.
Request, and receives a transmission request from the higher-level device.
In this case, the product information stored in the storage means is
The information is transmitted to the arithmetic device.

[0024]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the PLU file 1j in which the product information is recorded is provided in the customer portable terminal 1, and the PLU file 1j is searched each time the customer inputs the product information, and the product name, unit price, price, And the results of the search and calculation such as the total amount and the like are displayed on the display.

As a result, the customer can always know what product he / she has selected and what the payment amount will be, and the convenience for the customer is remarkably improved.

Further, in this manner, the search for the merchandise information in the host device 3 is eliminated, and the purchase details are described in the detail log file 1.
k, and the purchase data is transferred to the host device 2 at the checkout lane at the time of settlement, so that the labor of merchandise registration work can be saved and the settlement processing time can be shortened.

Furthermore, since there is no need to search for each higher-level device such as the higher-level device 2 or the higher-level device 3 for each product input, the load on these higher-level devices is reduced.

In the second invention, an error processing means 11 is added to the portable terminal for customer 1 of the first invention.

As a result, the product information of the desired product is
When a PLU error occurs without being searched from the file 1j, the barcode data or the product code of the product is stored in the detail log file 1k, the processing is suspended, and the PLU error is stored together with the product information of the product that has been normally input. Is displayed on the display unit 1i.

As a result, the PLU file 1j of the portable terminal 1 for customers in a large-scale store having a variety of products can be handled only by storing only the product information of the main products that are selling well. The same effects as those of the first invention can be obtained for labor saving of the operator and the like, and the applicable range of the POS system using the portable terminal for customer 1 is significantly expanded.

Further, since the PLU error product is displayed on the display on the customer portable terminal 1, the customer may be lost even if the displayed amount of the customer portable terminal 1 differs from the settlement amount at the time of settlement. Is eliminated and confusion can be prevented.

The third invention relates to a portable terminal for customer 1 having a local priority central function.

This local priority central function is:
When merchandise information is input by a customer, first, a PLU file 1j of a terminal device such as the customer portable terminal 1 is searched, and when desired merchandise information cannot be searched for in the file 1j, a higher rank PL of arithmetic unit 2 or 3
The product information is determined by searching the U file.

According to the present invention, the PL of the customer portable terminal 1 is
The U file 1j holds the product information of the main product, and the PLU file 3d of the host device such as the host device 3 holds the product information of all the products.

Thus, when no corresponding product is found in the PLU file 1j of the customer portable terminal 1, the product information can be obtained by searching the PLU file 3d of the higher-order arithmetic unit 3. is there.

This invention combines the advantages of the first invention and the second invention, and reduces the burden on the host device 3, saves the operator's labor, convenience for customers, and the scope of application of the system. It is excellent in all aspects, such as expansion of customer convenience and customer convenience.

Further, the PLU file 1j of the portable terminal for customer 1 only needs to have the product information of the main product, and the customer inputs all the products. Therefore, P
It is not necessary to update the LU file 1j for all products, and the update effort is reduced.

[0038]

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0039]

[First Embodiment] First, when a customer inputs a code of a product to be purchased from the user using a keyboard 1h or a scanner 1g, a PLU file 1j of each portable terminal 1 for each customer is input.
A description will be given of a first embodiment in which the search is performed, and the product name, the price, the total sales amount, and the like are processed and displayed on the display 1i.

FIG. 2 shows a self-scanning cart 1 of this embodiment.
FIG. In the figure, a display 21 is made up of a liquid crystal display or a CRT and displays merchandise information input by a customer and required messages.

The touch scanner 22 is operated by the customer
The bar code of a product that the customer wants to purchase is read, and the basket 23 stores the product to be purchased.

The keyboard 24 is for the customer to input a product code and the number of purchases, and a key for canceling and inputting is provided on the keyboard.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are schematic layout views of a main part of a self-scanning cart 1 and a settlement POS device 2 having a self-search function and performing a local PLU according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a POS system according to the present embodiment. Hereinafter, description will be given based on the overall configuration diagram of FIG.

The scanner 1g reads a barcode attached to a product and sends barcode information to the PLU file search unit 1b through the input control unit 1a.

The bar code information includes a product code, and the PLU file search unit 1b searches the PLU file 1j based on the product code to specify a product, and associates the product with, for example, a product name and a unit price. .

The keyboard 1h is the self-scan cart 1
In the operation of (1), the customer manually inputs, cancels, or terminates the product code of the product desired to be purchased.

The display units 1i, 2g, and 3c have CR
T and a liquid crystal display, each display control unit 1d,
In the operation of the self-scan cart 1, the checkout POS device 2, and the controller 3, the product name,
It displays merchandise information such as the number, unit price, and total amount, information on stock, and the like.

The display 1i may be configured to display the state of the cart 1, the operation procedure to be performed next by the customer, a message to the customer, and the like.

The input control unit 1a controls the keyboard 1h or the scanner 1g and the like, and also controls the transmission and reception of data with the operation control unit 1c.

The PLU file search unit 1b reads the product name and the product price of the PLU file 1j of the self-scan cart 1 based on the product code or barcode information sent from the input control unit 1a, and reads the product code and the price. Is sent to the arithmetic and control unit 1c.

The PLU file 1j is a table in which the product codes, the product names, and the product prices of all the products displayed at the store are associated with each other, and is searched by the PLU file search unit 1b.

The PLU file 1j is updated daily, and is composed of a RAM, a memory card, a floppy disk device and the like. Also, the PLU file 1
j may use a hard disk device or an optical disk device.

The arithmetic control unit 1c recognizes the product type / quantity from the data read from the PLU file 1j, obtains the total amount of the product selected by the customer, and displays the result as a display control unit 1d and a detail log control unit. Send to 1e.

Display control units 1d, 2d and 3b of each device
Controls signals between the display units 1i, 2g, and 3c and operation units such as the operation control unit 1c and the transaction closing unit 2c of the settlement POS device 2. The operation result is displayed on each display unit 1c.
i, 2g, 3c.

The detail log control unit 1e sequentially sends out the calculation result of the calculation control unit 1c and the detail log accompanying the sales to the detail log file 1k, and stores data such as a product code, a product name, a purchase quantity, and a price. Things.

In the detail log file 1k, merchandise information input by the customer, that is, information such as a merchandise name, a quantity, a unit price, and a total purchase amount based on merchandise code and barcode information is stored until the settlement. This detailed log file 1k is RA
M, a memory card, a floppy disk device, or a hard disk device, an optical disk device, or the like.

The product information stored in the detail log file 1k is stored as a bar code when the customer inputs with a scanner using 1g, but is stored with a product code when input with the keyboard 1h.

The detailed data transmission control section 1f controls the transmission and reception of data between the self-scan cart 1 and the settlement POS device 2. The transaction data accumulated in the statement log file 1k receives a transmission request from the transmission data requesting section 2a of the settlement POS device 2, and receives the transaction data via the statement data transmission control section 1f. 2b.

Next, each part of the settlement POS device 2 will be described. The transmission data requesting unit 2a issues a signal to each self-scan cart 1 in order to check the cart in which the checkout POS device 2 has finished selecting a product that the customer wants to purchase.

The detailed data reception control section 2b receives the contents of the detailed log file 1k of the self-scan cart 1. The transaction data stored in the statement log file 1k is transmitted to the statement data reception control unit 2b via the statement data transmission control unit 1f of the self-scan cart 1.

That is, upon completion of the selection of the product and receipt of the transmission request signal from the transmission data requesting unit 2a, the detailed data transmission control unit 1f of the cart, for which the end key is pressed, receives the detailed data of the settlement POS device 2. The contents of the detail log file 1k are transmitted to the control unit 2b wirelessly or through predetermined communication means such as, for example, optical cable adapters 1p and 2p, so that the settlement POS device 2 performs settlement processing.

The transaction closing processing unit 2c has an operation function for settlement processing and a search and control function, and performs a predetermined process based on the data sent from the detailed data reception control unit 2b.

For example, when the bar code information is sent, the PLU file (not shown) of the settlement POS device 2 is searched again based on the bar code data and confirmed, and then the settlement processing is performed. When a product code is sent, a payment process is performed based on the product code.

The result processed by the transaction end processing unit 2c is sent to the display control unit 2d, and a predetermined display is performed on the display unit 2g.

The print control unit 2e includes a transaction closing processing unit 2c.
Of the printing unit 2h for controlling a signal between the calculation unit and the printing unit 4 and for issuing a receipt.

The printing unit 2h prints predetermined information, for example, the name of the product, unit price, quantity, subtotal and total of sales amount, tax amount, etc. on a receipt, a small card, or the like so that it can be issued to the user. The printing unit 2h may be used for printing a specific message such as a special discount in addition to printing a receipt of a normal transaction statement.

The transaction data transmission control section 2f controls data transmission and reception between the settlement POS device 2 and the transaction data reception control section 3a of the controller 3. The transaction data settled by the settlement POS device 2 is transmitted to the controller 3 via the transaction data transmission control unit 2f.

Transaction data reception control unit 3 of controller
“a” controls reception of data sent from the settlement POS device 2. The transaction data settled by the settlement POS device 2, for example, the product name, the number of sales, etc., is transmitted to the controller 3 via the transaction data reception control unit 3a, updated, and the latest data is always held. Inventory management and the like are performed using the latest data.

FIG. 6 shows an example of a screen displayed on the display unit 1i of the self-scan cart 1 each time the customer inputs a product to be purchased.

As shown in the figure, each time a product is entered, a product code, a product name, the number of purchases, and a purchase price are displayed for each product along with the date and time, a member number, a name, and the like. , Consumption tax, and total amount are displayed.

FIGS. 7 and 8 are flowcharts showing the operation of the first embodiment for performing local PLU.

Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8, the first
The operation of this embodiment will be described.

The customer inputs the bar code information by reading the bar code from the scanner 1g provided in the self-scanning cart 1 by himself / herself, or the keyboard 1
The transaction is started by inputting the product code of the product desired to be purchased in step h (step S1).

Each time a code for one product is input, the PLU file search unit 1b of the self-scan cart 1 checks whether the code has been read correctly (step S2). Returns to the commodity code input in step S1, and repeats the input.

On the other hand, if the product code is correctly entered,
The PLU file search unit 1b searches the PLU file 1j of the cart 1 using the input product code as a key (step S3), and determines the product name and price of the product.

Next, the arithmetic control unit 1c calculates the purchase subtotal based on the search result of the PLU file 1j, and creates a detail log in which the name of the product purchased by the customer, the unit price, and the subtotal are clarified (step S4). Display control unit 1d
Displays the purchase details created by the arithmetic control unit 1c on the display unit 1i (display) (step S5).

Next, the detail log created in step S4 is stored in the detail log file 1k by the detail log control unit 1e (step S6), and subsequently, it is determined whether or not the customer has finished inputting the product he / she wants to purchase. (Step S
7).

If the input of the product to be purchased has not been completed, the process returns to step S1, and the input of the purchased product is continued.

On the other hand, when the input of the product to be purchased is completed, the customer presses the end key of the keyboard 1h, whereby the self-scan cart 1 is ready to receive the transmission request from the settlement POS device 2.

Then, the detailed data transmission control section 1f confirms whether or not a transmission request for the self-scan cart 1 is transmitted from the settlement POS device 2 (step S).
8).

If no transmission request has been sent from the settlement POS device 2 to the cart, the flow returns to step S8 to repeat the loop until the transmission request is received.

On the other hand, when receiving the transmission request from the settlement POS device 2, the detailed data transmission control unit 1f sets the settlement POS
Waiting for confirmation of reception preparation OK from device 2 (step S
11) Send the detail log stored in the detail log file 1k to the settlement POS device 2 (step S9).

The detailed log can be transmitted to the settlement POS device 2 by a wireless method or by transmitting data by connecting adapters 1p and 2p such as optical cables in a checkout lane.

The operation performed by the self-scan cart 1 in this embodiment has been described above. Next, the operation of the settlement POS device 2 performed in response to the operation of the self-scan cart 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

Transmission data request unit 2a of settlement POS device 2
Sends a transmission request to each self-scan cart 1 (step S10), and checks whether there is a self-scan cart 1 whose input end key is pressed.

If there is no self-scan cart for which the input end key has been pressed, the flow returns to step S10, and
The transmission request is repeated for each self-scan cart.

On the other hand, when it is confirmed that the input end key of a certain self-scan cart has been pressed, the detailed data reception control unit 2b receives a detailed log from the detailed data transmission control unit 1f of the self-scan cart 1. (Step S12).

When the statement data reception control section 2b receives the statement log, the transaction termination processing section 2c of the settlement POS device 2 performs transaction termination processing. That is, it is checked whether or not the product code of the detail log file 1k received from the self-scan cart 1 has been input as barcode information (step S13).

If the detailed log file 1k has been input based on the barcode information, a PLU file (not shown) of the settlement POS device 2 is searched and confirmed for all the input products (step S14). ),
Based on the result, a transaction detail log file (not shown) of the transaction is created (step S15), and then a settlement process is performed (step S16).

The settlement process in the settlement POS device 2 is as follows.
For example, regardless of the presence or absence of product information in the PLU file 1j of the terminal device such as the self-scan cart 1, the PLU file (not shown) of the settlement POS device 2 based on the barcode or the product code input from the terminal device ) Is searched again, and then the settlement process is performed.

On the other hand, if the detail log file 1k is input based on the product code, the settlement process is performed based on the product code of the detail log file 1k (step S16).

Next, the display control section 2d displays the calculation result of the transaction closing processing section 2c on the display section 2g (step S1).
7), the printing control unit 2e controls the printing unit 2h to print the transaction result (step S18).

Next, the transaction data transmission control unit 2f
The transaction result is transmitted to the transaction data reception control unit 3a of the controller 3 (step S19).

As a result, the controller 3 is updated, and can always hold the latest management information.

With this operation, P having a self-search function is provided.
The settlement process of the OS system is performed, and the customer can always grasp what the product he / she has selected and what the payment amount is, the budget management becomes easy, and the convenience of the customer is remarkably improved.

Further, since there is no need to search the controller 3 for merchandise, the load on the controller 3 is significantly reduced, and the controller 3 can control many terminals.

Further, since the customer inputs the product information of the product he or she wants to purchase with the self-scan cart 1, the amount of work for the operator in the settlement processing is significantly reduced, the input time is reduced, the waiting time is reduced, and Efficiency and services can be improved.

[0098]

Second Embodiment Next, an error processing means 11 is provided in the self-scan cart 1, and when the PLU file 1j is searched but the corresponding product data is not found and a search error occurs, error processing is performed and the display is performed. A second embodiment will be described.

In this embodiment, since the PLU file has a limited capacity, the amount of displayed products is enormous, and the PLU file 1j of the self-scan cart 1 cannot store the product information of all the products. The file 1j is applied when only the product information of the main products frequently purchased by customers is recorded.

An overview of the system of this embodiment is shown in FIG.
4 and FIG. FIG. 9 is an overall configuration diagram of the present embodiment. The difference from the first embodiment is that a PLU error display processing unit 11 is provided in the self-scan cart 1, and the other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment. This is the same as FIG. 5 showing the embodiment.

Therefore, in the description, the same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and only the parts different from the first embodiment and the related parts before and after that will be described.

When the PLU file search section 1b searches the PLU file 1j held by the self-scan cart 1 and finds no desired product information, the processing branches to the PLU error display processing section 11.

The PLU error display processing unit 11 stores the barcode information of the product and the data of the number of products purchased by the customer in the detail log file 1k, as shown in FIG.
Editing for displaying a screen as exemplified in FIG.

As a result, the customer can see the symbol displayed on the screen, for example, * (see FIG. 10), and can confirm that there is a product that has not been settled to the total price, and can obtain an estimate of the purchase price. As a result, the convenience of the customer is significantly improved.

On the other hand, in the detailed log file 1k of the self-scan cart 1, only barcode information and the number of products that could not be searched are stored.

The payment POS device 2 reads the barcodes of all the products stored in the detail log file 1k of the self-scan cart 1, and reads the PLU of the payment POS device 2.
A search is performed again in a file (not shown), and the product for which an error is displayed is processed, and then the settlement process is performed.

Thus, the P of the self-scan cart 1
Even if the LU file 1j does not have data of all products, the missing data is processed by a PLU file (not shown) of the checkout POS device 2, so that the PLU file 1j of the self-scan cart 1 stores data of main products. Just keep it.

Thus, the P of the self-scan cart 1
The capacity of the LU file 1j is reduced, the update process is facilitated, and the settlement process is performed by the bar code input by the customer, so that the operator's input is labor-saving and the settlement process time can be shortened, so that business efficiency can be improved. It greatly contributes to energy saving and labor saving.

FIGS. 11 and 12 show the PLU file 1j.
11 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the second embodiment for performing error processing when an error occurs because data of the corresponding product is not found by searching for.

As is clear from the figure, the operation flow of the present embodiment and the operation flow of the first embodiment are very similar and have many overlapping operations. Therefore, only the portions of the second embodiment that are different from the first embodiment and the related operations before and after the second embodiment will be described with numbers.

Retrieval of PLU file 1j (step S2)
As a result of 1), if there is corresponding data (step S22), the subsequent processing is the same as that of the first embodiment, creation of the detail log file 1k (step S23), product name, amount, subtotal Is displayed (step S24), and the detail log is stored in the detail log file 1k (step S26).

On the other hand, if the corresponding data could not be found (step S22), the fact that the product could not be processed is displayed, and the barcode information of the product and the purchase quantity input by the customer are recorded in the detailed log. It is stored in the file 1k (step S26).

That is, as shown in FIG. 10, for example, an asterisk is added to the column of the corresponding product and the column of the subtotal or total to indicate that there is data for which the price cannot be determined, and a necessary comment is added to the display unit. To be displayed.

Thus, in the settlement process of the settlement POS device 2, the re-search is performed based on the barcodes of all the products sent from the self-scan cart 1, and then the settlement process is performed.

Note that the settlement process in the settlement POS device 2 is as follows.
For example, regardless of the presence or absence of product information in the PLU file 1j of the terminal device such as the self-scan cart 1, the PLU file (not shown) of the settlement POS device 2 based on the barcode or the product code input from the terminal device And search.

As described above, by providing the error processing means 11 in the self-scanning cart 1, if the corresponding product cannot be searched, the fact is displayed, predetermined data is stored, and the processing is suspended. , The next product can be input.

Therefore, the PLU of the self-scan cart 1
File 1j only needs to hold the data of the main products,
Not only does this contribute to savings in memory, miniaturization of the device, and cost reduction, but also significantly reduces the labor for updating the PLU file 1j and significantly expands the applicable range.

[0118] The price and the total amount of the merchandise selected so far by the customer are displayed together with the error display, so that the rough estimate of the purchase price can be grasped.
From the viewpoint of budget management, customer convenience is improved.

[0119]

Third Embodiment Next, a local priority central PLU
A third embodiment having a function will be described.

The local priority central PLU function means that the retrieval of the commodity information of the commodity inputted by the customer is first performed by the PLU of the terminal device such as the self-scan cart 1.
The file 1j is searched, and when desired product information is not found in the file 1j, a PLU file 3d of a higher-level device such as the controller 3 is searched.

FIGS. 13 and 14 are schematic layout diagrams of the main parts of the system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 13 shows an example in which data is transmitted and received between the self-scan cart 1 and the settlement POS device 2 at the time of settlement. FIG. 14 shows an example in which an optical adapter is connected.

The difference between FIG. 13 and FIG.
4 is a self-scan cart 1 and a checkout POS device 2
The optical adapters 1p and 2p are used as communication means, respectively.
The data of the detailed log file 1k at the time of settlement is transmitted and received through the optical adapter, and the other configuration is the same as that of FIG. Therefore, the case of transmitting and receiving data wirelessly in FIG. 13 will be described as an example.

FIG. 15 is an overall configuration diagram of the present system.
15 differs from FIG. 9 in that the PLU inquiry control unit 1m is provided in the self-scan cart 1, and the INQ reception / PLU result transmission control unit 3e, the PLU file search unit 3f, and the PLU That is, the file 3d is provided.

In such a configuration, the PLU file search section 1b searches the PLU file 1j held by the self-scan cart 1 and, when the corresponding data cannot be found, the processing branches to the PLU inquiry control section 1m.

The PLU inquiry control unit 1m edits the inquiry message of the product based on the input product code or barcode information, transmits the inquiry message to the INQ reception / PLU result transmission control unit 3e of the controller 3, and transmits the inquiry message. , The I
The NQ reception / PLU result transmission control unit 3e receives the product information of the corresponding product from the control unit 3e.

The INQ reception / PLU result transmission control unit 3e of the controller 3 receives the inquiry message from the PLU inquiry control unit 1m, transmits this to the PLU file search unit 3f, and transmits the search result of the PLU file search unit 3f. Receiving, PLU inquiry control unit 1 of self-scan cart 1
m.

Data transmission and reception between the self-scan cart 1 and the controller 3 are performed by wireless communication.

The PLU file 3d is a table in which the product codes and barcodes of all the products are associated with the product names and the product prices, and is held in the controller 3, and is stored in the PLU file 3d.
d is searched by the PLU file search unit 3f.

In this configuration, the result searched by the PLU file search unit 3f is the IN of the controller 3.
When transmitted to the Q reception / PLU result transmission control unit 3e, the INQ reception / PLU result transmission control unit 3e transmits to the PLU inquiry control unit 1m of the self-scan cart 1, which is sent to the arithmetic control unit 1c, and The processing is the same as in the first embodiment.

FIG. 16, FIG. 17, and FIG. 18 show a third embodiment in which the PLU file 3d of the controller 3 is searched wirelessly from the self-scan cart 1 when the PLU file 1j is searched but no corresponding product data is found. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example operation.

As is apparent from the figure, the operation of the present embodiment is almost the same as that of the first embodiment. Therefore, the operation of the present embodiment will be described by assigning numbers only to parts different from those of the first embodiment, and related operations before and after.

As a result of the search for the PLU file 1j (step S31), if there is the corresponding data (step S3)
2) The same as the first embodiment, the detail log file 1
k is created (step S38), details are displayed, and the details log is stored in the details log file 1k.

On the other hand, if the corresponding data cannot be found in step S32,
The U inquiry control unit 1m creates an inquiry message of the product and sends the INQ reception / PLU result transmission control unit 3 of the controller 3.
e (step S33).

The INQ reception / PLU result transmission control section 3e of the controller 3 receives this message and sends it to the PLU file search section, and the file search section 3f searches for the PLU file 3d (step S36). It should be noted that the PLU file 3d of the controller 3 covers data of all products handled at the store.

When the corresponding data is found, IN
The result is transmitted to the PLU inquiry control unit 1m of the self-scan cart 1 through the Q reception / PLU result transmission control unit 3e (step S37).

The PLU inquiry control section 1m of the self-scan cart 1 sends an inquiry message to the controller 3,
Until a response message is transmitted from the controller 3,
The process waits while repeating the search for a response from the controller 3 (step S34).

The PLU of the self-scan cart 1
When the inquiry control unit 1m catches the response from the controller 3, it receives the search contents (step S35) and creates the detail log file 1k (step S38). Subsequent processing is the same as in the first embodiment.

[0138] Since the detailed log of the self-scan cart 1 contains data of all commodities, the payment PO
The S device 2 can also use the data received from the self-scan cart 1 as it is for the settlement process.

In this embodiment, the host device having the product information of all the products is described as the controller 3. However, the information is stored in the checkout POS device 2 and the checkout POS device 2 is searched and searched. Is also good.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the PLU file 1j of the self-scan cart 1 only needs to hold a small amount of frequently searched data, which contributes to saving of memory, downsizing of the apparatus, and cost reduction. In addition, the effort for updating the PLU file 1j is significantly reduced.

On the other hand, the frequency of searching for the controller 3 from the self-scan cart 1 is significantly reduced.
A single controller 3 can control a large number of terminals.

Further, since the processing of the product information of all the products can be performed at the stage of input by the customer, it is not necessary for the operator to perform another input processing at the settlement POS device 2,
The burden of inputting merchandise information on the settlement POS device 2 is also significantly reduced.

Further, it is possible to display product information on the self-scan cart 1.

In this embodiment, the case where the cart is equipped with the portable terminal 1 for the customer has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Is also good. Moreover, you may comprise so that a customer may carry easily.

In this embodiment, a controller is described as an example of a higher-level device.
The S device may have it. In addition, the configuration may be such that the function of the higher-level device is shared by each device.

[0146]

As described in detail above, according to the present invention, the customer inputs the product information of the product he or she purchases with the self-scanning cart 1, so that the operator can save input processing work and shorten the processing time. Is realized and waiting time is reduced,
Business efficiency and services can be improved.

Further, the burden on the host device such as the controller 3 is significantly reduced.

Further, the customer can always grasp the type of the product he or she purchases and the purchase price, and the convenience of the customer is remarkably improved from the viewpoint of budget management.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the principle of a POS system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an external view of a self-scan cart according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view (part 1) of a POS system having a self-search function according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view (part 2) of a POS system having a self-search function according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is an overall configuration diagram of a POS system having a self-search function according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an example of a screen display of the self-scan cart of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram (part 1) of the operation of the system having the self search function of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram (part 2) illustrating the operation of the system having the self-search function according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an overall configuration diagram of a system having an error processing function according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an example of a screen display of a search error of the self-scan cart of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a diagram (part 1) illustrating the operation of a system having an error processing function according to the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a diagram (part 2) illustrating the operation of the system having the error processing function of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram (part 1) of a system having a controller inquiry function according to the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram (part 2) of a system having a controller inquiry function according to the present invention.

FIG. 15 is an overall configuration diagram of a system having a controller inquiry function according to the present invention.

FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram (part 1) of the operation of the system having the function of inquiring the controller of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a diagram (part 2) illustrating the operation of the system having the function of inquiring the controller of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram (part 3) of the operation of the system having the controller inquiry function according to the present invention;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Self scan cart (mobile terminal for customer) 1a Input control unit 1b PLU file search unit (search means) 1c Operation control unit (operation unit) 1d Display control unit (display unit) 1e Detail log control unit (storage unit) 1f Data transmission control unit (communication unit) 1g Scanner (input unit) 1h Keyboard 1i Display unit (display unit) 1j PLU file (search unit) 1k Detail log file (storage unit) 1l PLU error display processing unit (error processing unit) 1m PLU inquiry control unit (inquiry means) 1p Optical adapter (communication means) 2 Settlement POS device (upper processing unit) 2a Transmission data request unit (communication means) 2b Detail data reception control unit (communication means) 2c Transaction closing processing unit (Arithmetic means) 2d display control section 2e print control section 2f transaction data transmission control section (communication means) 2 Display unit 2h Printing unit 2p Optical adapter (communication means) 3 Controller (upper processing unit) 3a Transaction data reception control unit (communication means) 3b Display control unit 3c Display unit 3d PLU file 3e INQ reception / PLU result transmission control unit (Communication means) 3f PLU file search unit

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing from the front page (72) Inventor Chizuru Shimizu 1015 Uedanaka, Nakahara-ku, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture Inside Fujitsu Limited (72) Inventor Kaoru Kikuchi 1015 Kamiodanaka, Nakahara-ku, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture Fujitsu Limited ( 56) References JP-A-4-293198 (JP, A) JP-A-63-145592 (JP, A) JP-A-1-125690 (JP, A) JP-A-4-286096 (JP, A) JP-A-63-149791 (JP, A) JP-A-63-223998 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G07G 1/00 G07G 5/00

Claims (6)

(57) [Claims] 1. An input means for receiving an input of a product code, and a PLU in which a product code and product information are recorded in association with each other.
File and the PLU based on the entered product code.
Searching means for searching for a file to search for product information; calculating means for performing calculation processing based on a search result by the searching means; display means for displaying product information and a calculation result by the calculating means; A storage unit for storing the product information including the calculation result and the input product code, and a communication unit for transmitting the product information stored in the storage unit to a higher-level arithmetic device; A communication unit that receives the product information transmitted from the customer mobile terminal; and a higher-level PLU file in which the product code and the product information are recorded in association with each other based on the received product code, and based on the searched product information. and a calculation unit of the upper and a calculation means for performing settlement processing Te, based on the product code input to the mobile terminal for the customer,
In the customer portable terminal, a PLU file in the customer terminal is provided.
Based on the product information retrieved from the file and the product information
Displaying the calculation result on the display means, and
Then, search from the upper PLU file in the upper device.
It is necessary to perform the settlement process in the host device based on the product information
Characterized POS system. 2. In the POS system according to claim 1, when the product information cannot be searched as a result of the search for the PLU file of the customer portable terminal, the display means displays that the search could not be performed. A POS system storing the product code of the product that could not be searched in the storage means. 3. The POS system according to claim 2, wherein said portable terminal for customer is provided with an inquiry means for transmitting an article code of a corresponding article to a higher-order arithmetic unit and making an inquiry when a PLU file error occurs. And a higher-level arithmetic device includes: a PLU file for storing all product information; a search means for searching for a PLU file in response to an inquiry request from the portable terminal for customer; and a search result for the PLU file for the customer. POS system comprising communication means for transmitting to a portable terminal for personal use. 4. The POS system according to claim 2 , wherein said storage device responds to a transmission request from said higher-level arithmetic device.
Transmitting the product information stored in the row to the upper-level processing device
In addition, when a product code is stored in the storage means,
Operate to transmit the product code to the host computer.
POS system characterized by making . 5. The POS system according to claim 1, wherein the portable terminal for a customer has an input end key, and the host processing device is operated based on an operation of the input end key.
And waits for a transmission request from the host device.
Is received, the quotient stored in the storage means is received.
Transmitting product information to the arithmetic unit.
POS system. 6. An input means for receiving an input of a product code.
And a PLU in which a product code and product information are recorded in association with each other
File and the PLU based on the entered product code.
Search means to search for product information by searching files,
Perform arithmetic processing based on the search result by the search means
Calculation means, product information and calculation results by the calculation means.
Display means for displaying the result, and a calculation result by the calculation means
And stores product information including the input product code.
Storage means for storing the product information stored in the storage means.
Having communication means for transmitting information to a higher-level computing device
POS terminal communicable with a personal digital assistant for receiving merchandise information transmitted from the personal digital assistant
Communication means and product code based on the received product code
And the upper PLU file that records the product information in association with
Search, and perform the payment process based on the searched product information.
The merchandise information received from the customer mobile terminal for settlement processing.
Is not used, and based on the received product code,
Settlement process based on product information retrieved from LU file
A POS terminal device characterized in that: